Alex Atala Explains Priprioca

Priprioca is an Amazonian root that until recently has mainly been used by the cosmetic industry, however, thanks to a new focus from chefs like Alex Atala at his D.O.M restaurant, the ingredient is now finding it’s into kitchens with a number of uses in sweet and savoury dishes.

It’s produced by small Amazonian communities and until Atala decided to start research it had never been used in food. It carries a strong mix of aromas and acts similar to vanilla with woody flavour.

In the video below Atala sets out explaining his work with priprioca and the interesting story of how an ingredient used for perfume is now an arsenal in his library of ingredients.

Priprioca is just one of hundreds of new varieties of ingredients yet to be discovered across the Amazon, just one of the reasons that makes the region one of the most exciting gastronomic prospects in the world.

Want to discover more new ingredients? Here's David Chang on Honzo and Bonji.